


Hand-to-hand

by halfbakedeb



Series: I'll be holding onto you [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Season/Series 03, Shiro (Voltron) Has a Clone, Slow Burn, but that's not what this is about, i love those sorry, i tried so hard and got so far, klance-centered
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2018-12-26 08:42:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12055353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfbakedeb/pseuds/halfbakedeb
Summary: So this is what's going down in season 4.At least in my head.UPDATE: It wasn't.I'm betting my coins on season 8 now because I'm an optimist and I can't give up on my otp.Anyway, I'm still proud of this work and I hope you like it as much as I do.I should change the title to "we could've had it all" tho. Or "what could have been".





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is what's going down in season 4.  
> At least in my head.
> 
> UPDATE: It wasn't.  
> I'm betting my coins on season 8 now because I'm an optimist and I can't give up on my otp.  
> Anyway, I'm still proud of this work and I hope you like it as much as I do.  
> I should change the title to "we could've had it all" tho. Or "what could have been".

The red paladin of Voltron was chilling out in his room after a rather rough close combat training. He had been working hard in the past few quintants to improve his skills. He knew how important it was, and he knew he needed to up his game.

Lance had wanted to learn with Shiro at first, since he was by far the best at those kinds of fights. But Shiro had to split his time with everyone, so he got stuck with the second best instead. And that just happened to be Keith.

He'd never admit it but the guy was a natural at that, just like he was a natural sharpshooter, as he liked to point out at any given oportunity. 

However, if Lance had known his whole body would feel sore and that he'd get both physically and mentally exhausted after every training, he would never have accepted it. 

But all in all, Keith was a good teacher so he'd have to put up with it. Which meant he also needed to rest and relax in order to be a human being the next day.

And so there he was, splayed out on his bed with his eyes closed and contently humming to a pleasing song. He opened his eyes when he felt a presence outside his room and saw a shadow moving on the small crevice under the door. He pushed up one side of his headphones in time to hear the soft ‘knock, knock’.

“Lance?” A voice called.

Lance frowned and dropped his headphones on his bed. “Keith?” He muttered.

He stood up and raised an inquiring brow as he opened the door.

“Hey.” Keith said shortly.

“Hey dude.” He blinked, stepping to the side so Keith could enter. “What do I owe the pleasure of our captain’s visit?”

Keith walked past him into the room. “I need to talk to you.”

Lance frowned again at his leader’s serious tone. “Did I mess something up? Are you lecturing me again?” He asked with a sigh.

Keith shook his head slightly. “No, it’s just something I’ve been worrying about. It’s driving me crazy.” He clenched his fists.

“And you came to me?” Lance’s brows shot up. “That sounds familiar.” He mumbled to himself.

Keith shrugged. “I had to. Usually I’d go to Shiro for stuff like this, but…” He trailed off, looking away.

Lance got the gist of it. Keith had been giving off a weird vibe, albeit subtle, since he and Black got Shiro back. “It’s actually about Shiro, isn’t it?”

Keith hesitated. “Well, yeah.” He sighed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest in his usual pose.

“Let’s hear it, then.” Lance sat back down on his bed and looked expectantly at Keith.

The black paladin glanced at him and took a deep breath before calmly speaking. “I’m glad we finally found him and he’s back on the team. I really am. He’s like a brother to me, and I honestly don’t think I could lead Voltron without his guidance. But lately I’ve been having this-this feeling that tells me Shiro's... Different.”

“As in he’s not been himself lately?”

Keith shook his head. “No, that’s the thing! He’s exactly the same, yet my gut says different!” He was clearly frustrated. “I really missed him, but I can’t settle down whenever he’s around. It's like he's a whole different person! And there’s the thing that Black didn’t respond to him even though she was the one who felt him drifting in outer space.”

Lance didn’t know what to say, so he waited.

“I don’t know if it’s just instincts or whatever. I just feel like there’s something wrong about him, something we’re all missing and I can’t point out what it is.” He paused, closing his eyes for a moment. “Or maybe I’m just tired of this damn space war, I don’t know.” He shrugged, looking at the ceiling.

“Are you saying that maybe he’s some sort of… Clone or… Something?” Lance asked haltingly.

“No! Maybe. I don’t know…” Keith sighed.

Lance took a moment to take in Keith’s points and collect his thoughts before speaking.

“Listen, man. Out of all of us, you’re the one who knows Shiro best. If you got a bad feeling about him, maybe we should look into it. I don’t really see it, but hey! Who knows? You could be right. Plus, if he’s not really who we think he is, we could all be in danger.”

“I know. But I don’t know what to do. I feel guilty even thinking that way about him.” Keith frowned deeply.

Lance stood and walked up to him, gently grabbing his shoulder. “Keith.” He waited for the other’s gaze to meet his. “If he’s not our Shiro that means the real one’s still out there somewhere. Maybe the galra have him. He might be hurt. We need to get to the bottom of this. He needs us, one way or another.”

Keith thought for a moment. “You’re right. But we can’t tell the others yet. They might start acting weird around him and that could become a problem. That is, if they’d even buy that ridiculous clone possibility. I’m not sure even I do.”

Lance shrugged. “Then you’ll just have to do with me. It’ll be like a side quest.” His face suddenly brightened. “Dude! We’ll be like cool ninja spies on a top secret mission!” He said with a huge grin splattered on his face.

Keith managed to laugh a little. “What’s with you and ninjas?”

“Oh, just the fact that they’re awesome, much like myself.” Lance gave his trademark smirk.

Keith snorted, rolling his eyes. After a moment, he looked at his teammate with a friendly smile. “Thanks, Lance.”

Lance winked at him. “You’re welcome, mullet.” He mused before turning a bit serious. “I still don’t get it, though. You could’ve gone to any of the others with this, but you ended up here.”

Keith nodded, not meeting his curious gaze.

“Why?”

The black paladin hesitated before answering. “I don’t know, I just… I felt insecure.” He admitted, flushing a little. “I thought they wouldn’t believe me. I know they don’t take me seriously as a leader, and I don’t blame them.” He gave a sad smile. “But you’ve been… Surprisingly supportive of my leadership, so it just felt like the right thing to do.”

Lance nodded in understatement. “Wait, so… Does that mean I’m like your right-hand man or something?”

“Well, you are.” Keith said pointedly.

Lance blinked before grinning. “Oh, right. Anyways, thanks for talking to me, man. And just so you know, the whole team supports you. Hothead and all. Honestly, Shiro’s really proud.” Lance grinned. “You know, if that’s really him.” He added as an afterthought.

Keith smiled genuinely.

Now that wasn't something you'd see everyday, which made Lance feel something in his chest. He didn’t know what it was, but it was something.

Keith was almost out the door when he stopped and turned. “Hey, Lance?”

“Hm?”

“I know you sometimes feel like you’re disposable to the team, but you’re not. We need our ninja sharpshooter. I need –” He cut off to correct himself. “Voltron needs its right arm. We’re lucky it’s you. Goofball and all.” He grinned weakly.

Lance couldn’t help the warmth that spread through his chest at those words. “Aw man, you’re tearing me up!” He chuckled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm telling you, this is bound to happen next season.
> 
> UPDATE: My hopes were crushed.

After that, they started to pay more attention to Shiro. 

The guy looked and acted pretty normal do Lance, but Keith had planted the seed of doubt on his mind, making him unable to take Shiro’s character as completely truthful anymore. Spying on his everyday life became their new pastime activity.

Shiro eating or training. Shiro interacting with the others. Shiro’s behavior in determined circumstances. Shiro’s body language. They paid attention to every little thing.

Keith didn’t want the others to know what was going on before they had properly investigated, so they had to be careful not to raise any suspicions. Sometimes they hid in dark corners to spy on him. Sometimes they faked conversations so they could eavesdrop on Shiro talking to any of the others. Sometimes one of them watched him while the other hung out with the team.

Lance bitterly acknowledged that Keith was a better stalker. He was quiet, furtive and agile, which made it easier for him to sneak up on Shiro unnoticed, and he did that pretty well.

They tried their best not to draw unnecessary attention to their mission from the others. However, by doing that, they ended up misleading their attention to an unpleasant matter; both had failed to notice how much time they had been spending together due to their secret little mission.

They didn’t argue any less, of course. It was the base of their relationship: senseless bickering over the smallest issue and constant rivalry. It tended to get pretty intense sometimes, but things always worked out in the end. It was stupid, but Lance actually enjoyed it. And, secretly, so did Keith.

But soon enough the guys (Hunk and Pidge) started to tease them for all the extra interaction. 

Now, the days in the castleship tended to drag on and everyone got bored sometimes, so it was natural that they’d find something to distract themselves with. It was too bad they chose Keith and Lance’s improving friendship for that.

There were just teasing looks and silly jokes at first, but then they started calling them Voltron’s power-couple. And they weren’t even decent enough to refrain in front of the mature trio (Shiro, Allura and Coran).

It was all harmless funny games, everybody knew it, but that didn’t mean Lance and Keith would just have to put up with it. Sure, they were friendlier towards each other now and sure, they even enjoyed each other’s company. Their sparring together was also pretty fun. But at the end of the day they were still rivals. There was no way their relationship would ever evolve to that.

Being so, they couldn’t let the team misinterpret things and make fun of them like that, so they’d constantly back each other’s arguments against the jokes.

Which, obviously, only made it worse.

Their fighting back proved counterproductive, so eventually they grew used to it and tried their best to ignore them in hopes of if going away.

Unfortunately for them, Pidge, the evil gremlin, was not interested in letting it go away so easily, so she started to refer to them as boyfriends, which had brought back all the fight from both of the paladins.

It was tiring for both of them, but there was still the matter of Shiro’s possible cloning to focus on. They couldn’t let their friend’s mocking catcalls get in the way of their investigation.

That’s why, on a particular lazy morning, Keith was pretending to eat his breakfast while carefully watching Shiro and Allura over to the side, talking about possibly increasing their training exercises. Keith had to agree they had been slacking off in the past few quintants.

Oblivious to his teammates’ small talk, he didn’t turn when Pidge called him.

“Hey Keith! Where’s your boyfriend?” She teased, taking a spoonful of space goo.

“Uhm, he’s taking a shower. I think.” He answered absentmindedly.

Pidge dropped her spoon back in her bowl and widened her eyes at him. Hunk quickly followed, gulping his goo so he could drop his jaw in a dramatic gasp.

Keith’s attention was snapped back to the noises they made. He turned to see his friends staring incredulously at him. “What?”

“You… Are you guys dating for real?” Hunk asked.

“Huh? Who?” Keith frowned in confusion.

“You and Lance!” Pidge exclaimed.

Keith scowled and grunted. “Can’t you guys just drop it? It’s getting old!” He said in annoyance, angrily going back to eating his food.

Hunk snorted. “Dude, Pidge just called Lance your boyfriend and you were all like ‘oh yeah he’s in the shower’!” He said it in a casual tone. “I mean, how would you even know that?”

“Our rooms are across from each other! And I wasn’t paying attention! What were you even talking about?” Keith asked, getting really worked up.

“It doesn’t matter, your subconscious wants some LanceyLance!” Pidge smirked teasingly.

Hunk tried to stifle a laugh and failed miserably. “Aw man!”

“Shut up! You guys are such kids!” Keith stood up to leave, not having finished his meal. “Honestly, just lay off!” He said before turning and walking away.

He had taken literally three steps before Lance showed up rubbing a towel over his head.

“Good morning team! What’d I miss?” He asked contently, seeing Keith’s angered frame and the other two snickering.

“Keith wants to be your boyfriend!” Pidge coated, chuckling behind her hand.

Keith shot her a death glare. “I do not!” He yelled.

Lance dropped on the nearest chair and sighed. “Man, this again? Can’t you guys just make fun of his hair or something? It’s getting old!”

“They even talk alike…” Hunk muttered to Pidge.

Keith growled. “Alright, that’s enough! Drop it, guys! It’s not funny and it never was. We’re not twelve, for quiznak’s sake! Grow up!” He stormed out of the room.

An awkward silence followed.

Shiro and Allura were watching quietly.

Lance was the one to speak up.

“I hate to say this, but he’s right. I know how fun it is to mess up with Keith, trust me, but honestly, that stuff makes us uncomfortable. And you don’t know how stressed Keith has been these past few weeks. Lay off, guys. It would really help the team if instead of teasing him all the time you’d actually support him as a leader.”

Shiro had approached them with a serious face. “Lance is right. Keith is having a hard time as it is, don’t cross the line. We need to keep the team together.”

Hunk and Pidge looked down in shame.

“I can’t believe I got lectured by Lance! God, that’s low.” Pidge mourned.

“Hey!” Lance whined.

“Sorry guys, we’ll keep it to ourselves.” Hunk said in a low tone.

Lance groaned. “That’s not the point! There’s nothing to keep! We’re rivals, there’s nothing going on between us except healthy competition!” He insisted.

Pidge and Hunk shared a look. “Sure man.” They both said.

 

-

 

“Hey man.” Lance said as he walked up to Keith in the training deck.

“What?” He said while delivering a series of aggressive hits on the gladiator.

Lance sighed. “Listen, I know those idiots are annoying. I don’t like it any more than you do, believe me. But they’re just screwing around. They didn’t mean to upset you like that.”

The gladiator had turned off and Keith was panting with his bayard at hand. “I know. I’m just frustrated. I got nothing useful on our Shiro mission and I still got that weird feeling in my guts! Plus, we got zero leads on Lotor and for all we know, they could be torturing Shiro right now! I just feel so useless in all this!” He plopped down on the floor.

“Yeah, I know. Either this guy’s a pretty good actor or he really is Shiro. But I’ve been thinking… Does he get those flashbacks Shiro had sometimes?”

Keith’s head perked up at that.

“Cause’, you know, they could have implanted Shiro’s memories on him and all, but that’s not something you can clone, right?”

Keith watched him wide-eyed. “Did you really think of that by yourself?”

Lance hesitated. “Well, yeah… Does it sound stupid?”

“Exactly the opposite. It was pretty good brain work.” Keith said with a half grin. “That might actually help.”

Lance smirked. “Yeah, you guys tend to underestimate my intellect. I’m not just a pretty face, you see?”

Keith snorted. “You’re not a pretty face at all.”

“Hey!” Lance whined, again. “I’ll have you know there once was a beautiful lady who claimed my face was sculptured by gods that were in love.” He said, all high and mighty.

“Was that lady by any chance your mom?” Keith raised a brow.

“What?” Lance felt his face getting hot. Keith smirked, making him cross his arms over his chest in annoyance. “Y-yeah, and she was damn right!” He pouted.

Keith laughed before getting up.

“I’ll hit the showers and then go apologize to those brats. See ya, mama’s boy.”

“Shut up, samurai!”

Keith waved a hand as he walked out the door.

Despite his annoyance, Lance had to fight back a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're so pure.  
> Anyways see ya later!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took longer to update than I had intended because it was shit and I had to rewrite it.  
> Not much happens here but I hope it turned out ok. :)

The whole team was gathered in the common room in some sort of informal meeting.

“Listen guys, I’m sorry I lashed out on you earlier. I just… I’ve been a little off these days.” Keith apologized.

“Yeah, we’re sorry too. You’re our team leader and all we’ve been doing lately is getting on your nerves. We promise to be good from now on.” Pidge grinned.

“Yeah man, we totally went overboard there. Sorry, Keith.” Hunk scratched the back of his neck and smiled apologetically.

“It’s fine. I get what brought it on. Lance and I haven’t been fighting as much as we did before, and we’re more like friends now rather than enemies, if we’ve ever been that at all.” Keith paused to glance at Lance.

Their eyes met, and Keith saw Lance was curious about what he was gonna say.

“It can’t be helped.” Keith continued. “We need to stick together if we want to win this war. And Lance’s been doing a great job as the right hand of Voltron. He’s the one who kept me from blowing this team apart while I acted on impulse. He might be an idiot and a goofball,”

“Wha–!” Lance snapped, brows furrowed in annoyance.

Keith grinned. “But he’s also our sharpshooter and someone you can count on when things get bad. I trust him, even though he likes to piss me off most of the time.”

“I can’t say I’m sorry for that.” Lance smiled. “You know, I doubted you were cut out to be the leader at first. I think we all did, even you. But then I realized that if Shiro had chosen you to take his position and Black obviously agreed, maybe it should be you. It started off tough, but in the end you proved us they were right.”

Shiro and Allura looked really proud of their boys.

“Wow, guys. You’ve really changed since we first started this crazy space expedition.” Hunk pointed.

“Oh yeah, big time.” Pidge agreed.

“We all have.” Keith said.

“I’m relieved to see you’re getting along and improving your team efforts, young men. With this, you’ve made us sure that the universe is in good hands and the galra are bound to be defeated.” Coran nodded. “I’m proud to be a part of this.”

“Awwww Coran, you’ve earned a hug!” Hunk grabbed him into his arms and squeezed him tight.

“Uhm, number 2–” He squeaked. “I’m very happy but… I think my ribs might’ve broken.” He said weakly.  
Hunk let him go and they all laughed.

“Group hug!” He then chimed, wrapping his arms around Keith and Lance, who were still laughing.

The whole team bundled together and stayed like that for a moment.

“I love you guys.” Hunk admitted.

“We love you too, big guy!” Lance told him.

After what felt like enough, they let go.

Shiro spoke up. “I’m really proud of you two.” He told Keith and Lance, who smiled fondly back at him.

“Now, there’s another matter to attend.” He looked at everyone. “Me and Allura have discussed about increasing our daily training span. We’ve been slacking off since I’ve been back and with the current situation with the lions, we need to step up our teamwork.”

“Coran has been listing all our mistakes and everyone’s weak points, so we’ll be doing both individual and group training.” Allura said.

“You should be able to increase your battle skills more efficiently with that.” Coran complemented.

“I’d say bonding exercises are unnecessary as of today, though.” Shiro grinned. “But we need to get started immediately, so head to your quarters and get ready for close combat exercises.”

They knew Shiro was right; team Voltron needed to get back on its feet and up its game if they wanted to beat the galra.

Everyone nodded and went their separate ways.

Shiro approached Keith. “You’ve grown so much.” He said with a soft look.

Keith shrugged. “Space war does that to you.”

They chuckled before Shiro nodded and went to get ready.

“Hey Keith!” Lance called.

Keith turned to see him jogging his way.

“What?”

They walked side by side.

“Did you really mean that? When you said you… Trust me.” Lance asked.

“Yeah. Of course I did. Is it not that way for you?” Keith looked him in the eyes.

“No, it’s… I mean, of course it is. It’s just that I never thought you… I mean, you hated me before so–”

“What?” Keith stopped. “Lance, I never hated you. Did you really think… Did you hate me?” He asked with hurt in his look.

Lance’s eyes widened. “No! No, I… Actually, I thought I did. But it turned out to be envy. I hated that you were better than me at everything. I was just a cargo pilot while you got to be a fighter and I only made it to be a fighter because you dropped out. It wasn’t easy to accept that.”

Keith was silent as he began walking again. Lance followed suit.

“I guess I blamed you for my own lack of skills. But in a way, I also admired you. I watched you being a great pilot and I wanted to be like you. Well, actually I wanted to be better than you. And that’s what created that rivalry between us, so I guess that’s my fault.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Lance. You know I have a bad temper and am a sore loser. I let you get to me, so it’s both our faults. But I think that rivalry made us both want to get better. That’s not a bad thing. Anyways, we can’t live in the past. Things have changed and we’ve grown.”

They had reached their rooms’ doors.

Keith turned to him. “The fact is that I never hated you and I never will. Even if we disagree and argue frequently, you’re my friend now. Friends fight all the time. It’s part of the fun of it.” He grinned.

Lance smiled fondly at him. “It is, isn’t it?” He chuckled. “Anyways, I just wanted you to know that I trust you too, buddy.”

“Thanks.” Keith smiled before remembering something. “Oh by the way, I know what to do with the Shiro thing.” He said in a mutter.

“You do?” Lance’s eyebrows shot up.

“Yeah. All we need to do is get him to open up.”

“You think he’ll just come out and say it?”

“I think it’s worth the try.” 

 

-

 

They had been really busy with training all week, so it took Keith a while to find the time to go talk to Shiro. It finally happened on the eve of a scheduled visit they had at a planet whose people they hoped to form an alliance with.

Keith didn’t bother to knock before entering the room; he knew what Shiro would be doing at that time.

“Hey, Shiro.”

Shiro glanced up from his book. “Hey, Keith! All good?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I was just thinking…” He sat down next to him. “Do you remember your early days at the Garrison?”

Shiro grinned at him. “Oh yeah. It was pretty exciting learning all that stuff. Why do you ask?”

Keith wasn’t one to beat around the bush; he went straight to the point, although trying his best to link one matter to the next.

“Do you think the Garrison training helped you escape the galra ship that first time?”

Shiro frowned. “I think so, but I’m not sure… It hasn’t all come back to me yet. There are just bits and pieces. It definitely helped me keep my head in place through all that, though.”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, I bet. Speaking of which, has any more memories of your prisoner time come back to you?”

“Not really… I’m not sure it’s even going to. It’s been a while since I’ve had any flashbacks.” He said hesitantly.

“Oh.” That was good information. “But are you ok with that? Don’t you wanna know?”

“Of course I do! It feels like there’s a piece of me that’s missing inside my mind. I wish there was something I could do to try and get it back.”

The guilt had already began eating at Keith.

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I wish I could help.”

Shiro put his book away and took a deep breath. “You know, I’ve been feeling kind of different ever since I’ve been back...” He trailed off with a troubled expression.

Keith’s eyes widened slightly. “Different how?”

“I’m not sure, but… I got this weird feeling that the ‘me’ from before was… A whole different person. It’s like my memories are actually dreams of someone else’s life. It doesn’t feel like it was me who went through all that…”

“What?”

“It sounds crazy, I know. I can’t really explain it. I just feel different.”

Keith’s heartbeat was thumping in his ears, so he took a breath to try and ease his nerves.

He had to say something to comfort his brother, even though he feared his instincts were right about him.

“That might be a side effect of being abducted again. Or maybe it’s just that you’ve changed since then. We all have. Give it time, I’m sure it’ll work itself out. And if it doesn’t, I’ll always be here if you need me.” He smiled fondly and patted Shiro’s shoulder.

“I know.” Shiro mirrored his own smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See ya soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that chapter 3 has been fixed, the rest is coming sooner.  
> So... They had a diplomatic visit o a planet I created.  
> Please tell me if it sounds stupid.

They landed on a planet called Meluen in the morning. Allura, Coran and Shiro went down first to meet with the meluan king and their royal council and set up the details of their diplomatic visit.

The rest of the paladins were allowed to explore the area before joining them for a formal meal.

Lance was almost ready to go out when Keith rushed into his room.

“Whoa Keith you can’t just-”

“I think Shiro’s a clone.” Keith cut him off with a troubled face.

“Whoah!” Lance gaped and fell back on his bed. “W-what? Are you sure?”

Keith glared. “No, that’s why I said ‘I think’!”.

Lance blinked for a few ticks.

“Right. But why? Did you talk to him?”

Keith nodded. “Last night. But I don’t think he knows what’s going on any more than we do. Probably even less than us.”

“How could he not know if he’s a clone?” Lance furrowed his brows.

Keith quirked a brow at him. “Have you never watched any clone shows on TV? They literally never know.”

Lance frowned. “You watched TV in the middle of the desert?” He shook his head, interrupting Keith’s groan. “Nevermind that, you’re right. But how did you get all that from just one conversation?”

He shrugged. “He’s the closest thing I have to a family. We’re a lot more open with each other than with the rest of the team. I just asked him about the Garrison and his time at the galra ship when he was first abducted to see if it triggered something in him. He said he felt like it all happened to someone else. As if the Shiro from then wasn’t him, and his memories felt more like dreams. What does that tell you?”

The red paladin was overwhelmed. “Wow. So Clone Shiro might actually be a thing… What now? Do we tell the others?”

Keith thought for a moment. “I think we should wait and see if any of the others notice anything. We might be wrong, after all. I told him that maybe he’s just changed, and I really want to believe that. We need to be 100% sure about this.”

Lance nodded. “But is it really okay to just wait around and let it roll? What if he’s faking it and he’s actually a spy from Haggar or something?”

Keith was shaking his head before Lance even finished. “If that was the case, I’d know. Trust me.” He paused. “I feel really bad for him, Lance. He’s struggling to find himself again, and he’s doing his best with what he’s got. Shiro went through too much.”

Lance nodded again. “Yeah. But he’s the strongest person I know. He’ll definitely get over all that.” He said reassuringly.

Keith’s face softened the tiniest bit. “Yeah, I hope so.”

“Now let’s see if we can find some cute ladies around here!” Lance said excitedly as he walked out the door.

 

-

 

As it turned out, there were no ladies. Or guys. The meluan people didn’t have separate genders, as they soon found out. Their bodies were tall, slender and they had long thin tails. Their faces resembled cats and they had pointed ears. The meluans were extremely beautiful, yet completely gender neutral, for Lance's dismay.

“Man, what a letdown!” Lance whined as they explored the town.

Hunk rolled his eyes. “Here we go again.”

“Lance, we’re not here so you can flirt around.” Keith reprimanded.

Lance mimicked Keith before turning away with a scowl. “No one asked you, emo.” He muttered.

“Since you can’t seem to shut up about it, why don’t you just try it anyway?” Pidge suggested.

“But there are no ladies here, Pidge! Except you, of course. But you’re like a little sister, so a definite no-no for me.”

“Ew!” She grimaced. “Thank god! But does it have to be girls? I mean, if the meluans are gender neutral, it means they’re not guys either. What’s keeping you?”

“Well…” Lance seemed to consider it. “I don’t know. It’s weird, isn’t it?”

Hunk shrugged. “I guess you won’t know unless you try.”

Lance took a few moments to think about it.

“You know what? I got nothing to lose.” He said before walking up to a meluan sitting alone by a huge tree-like plant.

He leaned against the trunk and mustered his trademark smirk.

“Hello, there. My name’s Lance. You probably know this but I’m a paladin of Voltron.” He mused.

The meluan seemed confused. “I'm sorry… A what of whom?” They said in a raspy voice.

Lance was a little taken aback. “Uhm… A paladin of… Voltron? Ever heard of it?”

“I don’t think so. Should I have?”

Lance rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess, yeah. We’re kind of a big deal. Anyway, I was just wondering if you could show me around. A lovely place calls for a lovely company.” He raised his brows suggestively.

The meluan rose to their feet and smiled. “I’d love to!”

Lance grinned widely. “Nice! Yeah, cool!” He offered his elbow for them to take.

As they started walking Lance looked over his shoulder to where his friends were. He wiggled his eyebrows and smiled smugly at them. Keith rolled his eyes and Hunk gave him thumbs up.

The meluan looked over to where Lance had turned and noticed the others. They seemed overwhelmed by them.

“Are those your friends?”

“Yep. They're also paladins of Voltron.”

“Can I meet them?”

“Sure!”

They walked over to them.

“These are Hunk, Pidge and the loner over there is Keith.” Lance introduced. "Guys, this is…” He realized he hadn’t got their name.

“I’m Kilik.” They bowed slightly.

Lance blushed.

“Pleasure to meet you, Kilik.” Hunk smiled friendly.

“Hello!” Pidge grinned.

Keith just nodded.

Kilik’s look lingered on him.

“Hello.” They said with a smile.

“Hi.” Keith said shortly.

Lance seemed to notice their interest on Keith, so he caught their attention again.

“Kilik's going to show me around town. Then, shall we?” He gently touched their hand.

“Ah, yes. Are you coming too, Keith?” They asked him.

He blinked. “Uhm, sure.”

Lance eyed him oddly. "Yeah, everyone should come." He said.

 

-

 

Throughout their strolling, Kilik wouldn’t stop glancing at Keith. Lance kept talking and asking them things, but their attention always ended up dragged back to Keith. Oblivious to that, Keith just admired the place as he walked by.

Lance didn’t like it one bit.

“Guys, we should get going.” Pidge said, looking at her watch.

“You’re right.” Keith said. “We can’t be late.”

“Are you leaving already?” Kilik asked.

“Yeah, we have kind of an important meeting with your leaders in a bit.” Lance explained.

“Oh.” Kilik turned to Keith. “Will I be able to see you again?”

Keith was a little confused. “We’re, uh… Staying for a few quintants, so… Yeah, I guess.” He said unsurely.

Kilik’s face brightened. “I’m glad! I really liked meeting you, paladin of Voltron.”

Keith blushed. “Uhm, me too…?”

“Goodbye, then.” They told the others before turning back to him. “Goodbye, Keith.” They smiled.

“Goodbye.”

With that they walked away, leaving behind an embarrassed Keith, an offended Lance and a couple of dumbfounded Pidge and Hunk.

“What the hell, Keith?” Lance frowned.

“What?” He turned to him with his face still red.

“You know what!”

It was Keith’s turn to frown. “I didn’t even do anything!”

“Oh yeah? What about those rosy cheeks, then?”

Keith’s face turned even more red. “It’s not like I can help it!”

Lance shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

Pidge groaned. “Enough, you two! We got somewhere else to be.”

Lance huffed and crossed his arms. “Whatever. But you’re not seeing them again!” He told Keith.

“You don’t tell me what to do!” Keith mirrored Lance’s stance.

Lance gaped. “Oh my god, Keith! I can’t believe you’d to that to me!”

“Do what? It’s not his fault Kilik liked him better.” Pidge said, annoyed.

Lance looked a little hurt, but turned away instead of saying anything.

Keith suddenly felt bad for him. He sighed. “Listen, idiot. I promise you that was all totally one-sided. I have no intentions of seeing them again. Ok?”

Lance seemed to relax. “Ok.”

A moment passed.

“You know, you guys totally looked like a couple having their first fight just now.” Hunk said.

Pidge burst out laughing.

Both of them blushed.

 

-

 

In the end, they were all pretty busy the next few quintants to go walking around again. All of the meetings went smoothly and their alliance was guaranteed. There were parades, feasts and on their last evening on the planet, the meluans threw them a ball in their Royal Palace.

“Man, these people know how to throw a party!” Lance chimed with a drink in his hand as he walked up to his fellow paladins. He had been dancing with the locals for the past varga.

The mature trio was seated with the meluan leaders while the others sat together at a distant table.

“Yeah, the food is great!” Hunk said, stuffing his face with different kinds of canapes.

“Can’t you eat normally, Hunk? Like, one-type-of-food-at-a-time normal?” Pidge grimaced.

“What’s the fun in that?” He grinned.

Lance looked over at Keith, who seemed uncomfortable in his gown.

Coran made them wear some sort of formal clothing that was similar to a suit but not quite. It closed around the neck and had a couple of metal chain things hanging from the shoulders.

“Hey there, mullet. You don’t seem to be enjoying the party.” Lance sat beside him.

“I hate theses clothes.” He complained, tugging at the neck.

“Yeah they’re pretty uncomfortable, but at least they make you look better.” Lance sipped his drink.

Keith was taken aback. Was Lance complimenting him?

“Anyways, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for that… That thing with Kilik.” Lance looked at him with an apologetic face. “I was wrong to blame you. And it wasn’t my place to say you shouldn’t meet them.”

“It’s fine. I understand how you felt. Too bad you didn’t get to meet anyone else, huh? We’ve been pretty busy around here.”

“Nah, it’s ok. At least now I know I’m okay with that gender thing. Kinda. I don’t know, it’s still pretty confusing.”

Keith chuckled. “Yeah. I bet.”

“What about you?” Lance asked.

“What about me?”

“Are you cool with that stuff?”

Keith shrugged. “I don’t know. I never really thought much about it.”

Lance nodded. “Yeah me neither. Crazy how much space can change your perspectives, right?”

“Tell me about it.” Keith looked at Lance’s drink. “Is that good?” He asked.

“Dude, it’s awesome! Nothing like that god-forsaken nunvill thing. Eeks!” Lance grimaced, remembering it. “Do you want to try it?” He offered him his cup.

“Yeah, I’m thirsty.” Keith took it. He looked suspiciously at the bright blue liquid.

“Go ahead!”

Keith glanced at Lace before sipping it.

“Whoa…” He took a bigger gulp. “This is good!”

“Right?” Lance grinned.

Pidge had been watching them from across the table.

“You do realize you just had an indirect kiss, right?” She mused.

Keith froze.

Lance grunted. “Pidge, why do you have to ruin everything?”

“Because it’s fun.” She smirked.

They all enjoyed the rest of the party laughing and drinking together. Come next day they’d be back to their rough routine of training, so they had all the fun they could get while they were there.

Meluen provided them a good break, and they left the planet with fully restored energy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun with this one, hope you did too.  
> See ya soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pining intensifies. Sorta.  
> (I always update late at night so nvm the typos and all. They'll eventually be fixed.)

A few days later the head and the right hand of Voltron were at the common area while the rest of the team was at the training deck, analyzing the teamwork exercise they had just been through.

It didn’t end up very well, and Keith knew he had screwed up as a leader. Lance was tasked with trying to talk him out of the self-deprecating shell he tended to shut himself into when stuff like that happened.

“I feel like I’m failing him.”

Lance knew Keith was talking about Shiro. He pressed his lips together.

“Keith–”

“No. I know I’m letting him down. He wanted me to make the rough decisions and lead you guys in battle and be the leader Voltron needs. But I’m not. I’m just struggling to fill in his gap. He’s the leader we need.” Keith lamented. “I like to hope the black lion will take him back once he’s got his shit together but… If he’s really a clone we’d have to find the real Shiro, and that might take a while. What if I can’t–”

“Keith!” Lance cried, making him stop. “You're rambling. If he’s not Shiro, we’ll find him. We will.” He said confidently. “But if he is, the black lion might still want to stick with you even after he recovers. It’s Black’s choice, not yours. You told me to stop worrying about stuff like that. You said we'd be fine. Things will work themselves out, right?”

Keith finally turned to him, but said nothing.

Lance put a hand on his shoulder. “Right now we need you to be the head of Voltron. And you need to stop comparing yourself to Shiro, buddy! You’re not him and you’ll never be. I know it’s not easy to be a leader and make tough calls and always know what to do, but you’re getting there, Keith. And we got your back. I said it before; the black lion was right to choose you. If anyone can lead Voltron with or without Shiro’s presence, you can. Have some faith in yourself!” He finished with an encouraging grin.

Keith had been intently listening, and although it was hard to believe those words, he desperately wanted to.

He sighed and tried to smile. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Of course I am. I’m your right-hand man!” Lance said cockily.

Keith’s face softened. “You know, I’m glad you’re the one flying Red.” He said after a while.

Lance half grinned. “I can feel how much she misses you…”

“I miss her a lot.” Keith looked down at his folded hands.

“Yeah, I know the feel…” Lance sighed. “Do you think we’ll get to fly them again someday?”

“Definitely. I worked my ass off to bond with Red, there’s no way I’ll let it go to waste.”

Lance chuckled softly. “Yeah. Hey, do you feel like having a hand-to-hand training? You know, to blow off some steam?”

“Oh yeah.”

 

-

 

Keith was knocked down on his back at the floor as Lance straddled him, holding his arms in place. It was an awkward position, which they both failed to realize.

“You cheated!” Keith protested.

“What? You slipped!”

“Because you conveniently spilled water on the damn floor!” He said angrily.

“I was thirsty! It was an accident!”

“The hell it was! I want a rematch!”

Lance scoffed. “Of course you do. But I’m too tired now, so suck it up! You lost!” He smirked.

“Shut up!” Keith tried to move, but Lance’s weight on him made it difficult.

After a few ticks of useless struggle, Keith sighed in defeat. “Ok, get off.”

“I will if you admit that you lost and I won.”

“Oh come on, Lance! Don’t be an asshole.”

Lance raised a brow, the smirk never leaving his face. “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty comfortable here.”

Keith wanted to punch his perfect teeth off.

He groaned instead. “Will you ever grow up?”

Lance shrugged. "I'm already taller than you."

That put salt on an old wound Keith had managed to forget about. "You–" He started, but then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He wouldn't let him have it that easily.

Mildly surprised, Lance felt him relax under his grip.

“Fine.”

Lance unconsciously relaxed as well, waiting for the next line. Only it never came.

Keith mustered up his strength and rolled them over, getting Lance off guard and trapping him under his weight instead.

“You almost won.” He said smugly.

Lance felt his cheeks burning. “That’s unfair!”

Keith found himself thinking it was kind of cute; Lance helplessly blushing under his grip, completely overpowered. He forced those thoughts to the back of his mind and hurriedly stood up, offering a hand to Lance.

He glared at him but took it anyways.

 

-

 

Keith had two moles on his right shoulder.

Lance noticed it when he took off his shirt as they walked together to the showers available on the training deck. He was covered in sweat, as was Lance, after sparring for an hour straight. Lance tried not to stare at the way the sweat ran down his torso.

But for some reason, Keith’s moles stayed on his mind for a few days.

One night, as he was tidying up his room after dinner, he caught himself thinking about the way those tiny dots contrasted against Keith’s bright skin as he moved. He then snapped, realizing he had folded his sheets wrong.

Lance huffed. “Get out of my head, stupid Keith!”

He stopped amidst refolding it as he heard Allura’s voice through the castle’s speakers.

“Paladins! We've got news. Please gather at the bridge immediately.”

Lance opened his door at the same time Keith did, and they shared a curious look before heading to the bridge.

“Hey guys.” Shiro greeted when everyone arrived. “We got a lead on a galra ship hovering in a nearby galaxy.”

“We suspect they’re after feedstock for weaponry, since the planet they’re likely headed is a good source of a variety of heavy metals.” Allura said. “That is a good opportunity to mess with their plans. And maybe, if we’re lucky, get some much needed information on Lotor’s whereabouts.”

“I’m trying to pinpoint where exactly they’ll land.” Pidge said from her seat at the bridge.

“So what’s the plan?” Lance asked.

“Pidge will get close to the ship using the green lion’s invisibility, taking you and Keith with her. You guys will get in and find out whatever you can from inside the ship. Hunk and Allura will keep them busy with their lions so you can get easy access, and Pidge will join them after dropping you off. Me and Coran will assist you however we can from the castle.” Shiro told them. “Any questions?”

“Why won’t Pidge get in the ship instead, like usual?” Lance asked.

“Because I want to be out there for a change.” Pidge grinned while tapping away in her control panel.

“Keith can interact with their system, and you two complement each other’s skills. It’s safer this way.” Shiro added.

“Oh. Ok then.” Lance nodded.

“Yeah, you make a good pair.” Pidge chuckled.

Shiro shot her a warning look.

She rolled her eyes. “Sorry, sorry.”

“So, everyone on board?” Shiro asked.

“Sounds good.” Hunk gave him a thumbs-up.

“Is the planet inhabited?” Keith asked.

“Luckily, no.” Said Allura. “There were a few races that used to get their metal supplies from there, but if the galra claimed that planet I believe we won't be seeing them anytime soon. We should be able to fight the galra without distractions.”

Keith nodded. “And after we gather the information?”

“You get the hell out of there. Pidge will get you to your lions and we’ll finish them off.” Shiro told him.

“I got it!” Pidge beamed.

Shiro nodded. “Good. Get some sleep, everyone. We’ll get moving first thing in the morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got at least 3 more chapters written down and I really want to just toss everything here, but I'll hold my horses.  
> See ya in a couple of days.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty lazy rn so I'll edit this later to fix some stuff.

Keith and Lance were practically back-to-back; their bayards drawn and ready. They walked carefully as Keith lead the way and Lance watched the rear. Pidge had scanned the ship and given them a hologram walk-through to the command center, along with instructions as to how to proceed when they had access to the control panel.

“Keep your eyes open, you two.” Shiro said in their helmets. “This should be an easy mission, but you can’t be too careful with the galra.”

“We know.” Keith told him.

Keith especially didn't want to screw up the mission. His lack of caution was what caused his leadership failure on their last teamwork exercise, and it still stung. He needed to do it right this time, for his own emotional sake and for the others. He couldn't afford to disappoint his team again.

The distraction provided by the lions worked. Orders were hurriedly yelled and the sentries ran off to their fighters to supply air support, which left most of the halls inside the ship nearly empty.

Keith and Lance reached the command room with minimum difficulty, fighting only a handful of sentries on their way. They ones guarding the door were also easy to handle.

Inside the room, though, it was a different matter.

Lance started shooting the second the doors opened. Keith took advantage of their momentary surprise to slice through several of the sentries and some of the soldiers gathered around the control panel. He reached the galra officer who commanded the ship and knocked him unconscious while Lance handled the remaining soldiers.

It was great team work.

“We’re in.” Keith said.

“Good. See what you can find and get out.” Shiro said.

“Lance, watch the door.” Keith told him as he moved to the panel, trying to work his way through it.

“You got it.” Lance stood watch, ready to shoot the enemy at sight.

Keith was relieved to see all he needed to do was place his hand in the panel to get it to work. His galra blood sure came in handy sometimes.

After about 15 minutes, he was mostly done.

“How are you guys doing there?” Keith asked through the coms.

“Super!” Hunk said in a strained voice.

Allura sounded excited. “Oh, we’re doing great!”

The ship took a heavy blow, making them lose their balance for a second.

“Wow! Nice shot Allura!” Pidge beamed.

“Keith, someone’s coming.” Lance warned him.

Keith gathered all the information he could in a small device before putting it safely back in his suit and getting ready to fight again.

“We’re done here, guys.” He told the rest of the team.

“They’re here!” Lance started shooting. Keith hurried to his side.

It was a small squad of sentries but there'd be more one the way, so they sprinted down the hallways after dealing with them.

“Pidge, where are you? We need that ride!” Keith called.

“Coming!” She chimed. “Shiro, Coran, back me up!”

“Copy that, number 5!” Coran said.

Pidge then opened a whole on the wall by the end of the long hall they were running through. Many sentries as well as soldiers were now chasing and aiming at them, so Lance slowed down a little to fire back.

“Lance!” Keith called as he reached Green’s opened mouth.

Lance started running again and Keith helped him get in the lion. Just as he lowered his shield, one of the sentries took a shot at him.

Keith gasped in unexpected pain and hugged his side, jumping on Green without even looking.

“Heading to the castle!” Pidge said.

Lance noticed Keith’s pained expression. “Keith? You ok there, buddy?”

“I’m hit.” He said in a strained voice.

“What?” Lance leaped at him, looking for injuries. He gently removed Keith’s hand from his ribs. His eyes widened a little. “Jeez, Keith…”

“I’m fine. It’s not that bad.”

“It looks painful.” Lance said quietly.

“I’ll deal with it later. Let’s finish the mission!” Keith said as they landed in the castleship.

He carefully got out of Green’s mouth and ran as best as he could to Black. Lance sighed.

“See you guys there!” Pidge told them, going back to battle.

“Thanks!” Lance called as he ran to his lion.

 

-

 

“Ok guys, I don’t see a reason to form Voltron. We can deal better with the fighters and attack the ship from all directions separated like this.” Keith said as he joined the fight. "The ship is pretty damaged anyway, it won't hold on for much longer."

Everyone nodded.

“Alright, let’s show them a fun time!” Keith said enthusiastically. “Hunk, take out that fleet tailing the castle!”

“Got it!”

“Lance! Burn the sentries on land, don’t let them get to the ship!”

“Eye, eye Captain!”

“Allura-” Keith stopped when the realized she was already kicking ass. “Nevermind, carry on!”

Allura grinned as she took down five fighters in a row. "Alright!"

Keith was blasting the remnants of the ship’s main canon while the others followed his instructions.

“Pidge, give‘em some of your vines!”

“I’m on it!” She said as she started shooting repeatedly at the ship.

Powerful vines started to grow throughout the vessel, successfully tearing it apart.

It was over. The remaining fighters ceased to function and the sentries were neutralized along with the soldiers.

“Great job, team!” Keith praised.

“Yeah!” They all beamed.

“Let’s head back to the castle.”

 

-

 

As soon as the heat of battle subsided, Keith felt his wound burn in his left ribs. He stumbled into the bridge with a groan, startling the rest of the paladins.

“Keith?” Hunk called, rushing to his side and helping him stand.

Lance followed suit. “Damn, I forgot about that!” He pulled Keith’s arm over his shoulder and helped him walk.

“I’m fine! I just need to rest.”

“Keith!” Allura gasped, noticing his condition. “Get him to a healing pod!”

The others crowded around him.

“What happened?” Shiro asked as he loomed over him.

“Keith was shot!” Pidge told him in a worried tone.

He widened his eyes as he saw the purple wound. “What? How did it happen?” He asked, alarmed.

“Shiro, calm down! The suit blocked most of the hit. It just injured my ribs a little.”

“It might have broken them, Keith!” Lance asserted. “It’s getting swollen and uglier.”

Keith sighed. “Ok. But it’s no big deal. You guys go check out the information we got and I’ll be a good kid and let the healing pod do its magic.” He said, handing Pidge the device. “Sounds good?” He asked no one in particular.

“I’ll take you.” Shiro said.

Before Keith could protest, Lance spoke. “It’s fine, Shiro. I got it. You guys can dig up what those jerks were up to while I get this idiot to the infirmary.”

Shiro’s worried look softened a little. “Okay. Be careful.”

“Yeah.” Keith tried to smile. Keyword is 'tried'.

They got in the elevator.

“You could have let us handle it. You should have come here right away!” Lance said; a frown almost permanent between his brows.

“Lance.” Keith looked up at him. “I’m. Fine. Stop treating me like a helpless kid, I can handle a little pain.” He said, surprisingly calm.

“But you don’t have to, and it doesn't look like a 'little' pain! I told you already, we got your back!”

“I know! And if I had felt like I couldn’t take it, I would have let you guys complete the mission without me. But I was good. Relax.” Keith said as they reached the infirmary and he started taking off his armor.

Lance assisted him. “Fine!” He mumbled. “You did good, by the way.”

Keith grinned. “You too.”

Lance helped him to a healing pod. “Guess I'll see ya later then, team captain.” He smiled slightly. "Stay cool."

Keith glared at him before closing the pod and shutting his eyes. He hated the cold of the pods.

 

-

 

When he opened them again, the pod had opened and he took a step outside. He was feeling groggy and disoriented, but the change of temperature was nice.

“Morning.” Lance hummed.

He looked up. “Hey. How long was I in there?”

“You’ve been out for solid 9 vargas. Turned out your ribs were really broken, and apparently bones take long to heal back.”

“What?” Keith asked, surprised. He noticed dark bags under Lance’s eyes. “Did you stay here this whole time?”

Lance hesitated. “Maybe?”

Keith raised a brow.

“I was worried, ok?” He flushed, looking away. “How are you feeling?”

Keith stared at him for a moment. “I'm tired, but my ribs seem to have fully healed.”

“Good.”

“Hey, get some rest. It must’ve been really boring watching me sleep.”

“You make me sound like a creep!” Lance protested. “And besides, I already took a good nap.”

Keith raised a brow. “Did someone punch you in the eyes, then?”

The taller boy pouted. “Shut up! I was trying to be nice!”

Keith just watched him, curious.

“I just wanted to return the favor…” Lance mumbled after a moment.

“What favor?” Keith asked, now confused.

“You know, when you… Cradled me that time.” Lance trained his eyes to the ground.

Keith gasped. “You said you didn’t remember that!” He accused.

“Well I lied!” Lance blurted out. His eyes widened a little.

An awkward silence surrounded them. 

“It was embarrassing…” Lance muttered.

Keith didn’t know how to react; Lance was such a kid sometimes.

He tried to walk, but tripped on his own feet. His muscles were sore from staying in the same position for too long in low temperatures. Lance kept him from falling.

“Um… Thanks.” He ended up saying.

Lance nodded.

Keith lowered his gaze as they headed out the door. “Hey, do you know when we… Rescued Shiro that first time and… I acted like I didn’t know you?”

Lance’s face lit up with realization. “I knew it! You lied, didn’t you?”

Keith scratched the back of his neck. “Sort of. Yeah. I mean, of course I remembered you, but I couldn’t recall your name.”

“That was a dick move, dude.”

“Well, I only remembered you because you were an asshole back at the garrison! I wasn’t expecting to see you in that kind of situation.”

Lance pouted but said nothing.

Keith managed to steady himself enough to walk properly.

“So. Now that it’s all clear, I’m gonna go shower.” He said.

“You can’t just walk out like that!”

“Why not? We’re even, aren’t we?”

“Well…” Lance struggled to find the words he needed. “At least promise to be more careful next time. I can’t be taking care of you everytime, you know.”

Keith noticed how he didn’t look him in the eyes. “Ok, I promise. Sorry to trouble you.”

“That’s not…” Lance started, then sighed. “Nevermind. See you later.” He turned around and headed down the hall.

“Get some rest.” Keith called.

“Yeah, yeah.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're taking a break.  
> Also, here's a tiny little Langst.

“How are you feeling, Keith?” Shiro asked as they were once again gathered at the bridge.

It was the morning of the next day.

“Great. What did you guys find out from the galra ship?”

“Nothing on Lotor, unfortunately.” Allura said.

“But Allura was right." Pidge stepped in. "They were going to extract the metal from that planet to build some war machines. We found all the designs and projects of their new weapons. We’re currently studying them, trying to find weak points so in case they ever get to build them, we’ll know how to fight it.” She beamed.

Keith nodded. “That’s good.”

“Yeah. We all did a great job as a team." Shiro smiled. "And that's why we're taking the day off from all training today. It's obvious you're all still pretty tired. We can pick up on our schedule tomorrow.”

The others agreed thankfully.

“Why don't you take a break for a few quintants, instead?” Coran suggested.

Everyone stopped and turned to where he was tapping away on his control panel.

He turned around at the silence. “You have been training very hard for a while now. And given this mission’s success, I think you’ve earned at least a short break. We haven’t had any important news about Lotor in a long time, but when we do you’ll have to be in your best shape for the upcoming battle. That won’t happen if you end up overexerting yourselves.” He pointed.

The paladins took a moment to contemplate the idea.

“Yeah, let’s take a break!” Lance chimed in. “I could really use some chill out time. Have you seen my face lately? All this stress is ruining my beautiful skin!” He rubbed both hands at his cheeks dramatically.

“Yeah, man!” Hunk agreed. Lance looked offended. “I mean, about taking a break, not about your face! It’s flawless, dude.” He told Lance, who gave him a fond smile.

Keith rolled his eyes.

“My muscles sure need a few days off." Hunk continued. "Plus, I could work on some new recipes to improve our meals so they’d taste more like actual food and less like... Well, goo.” He finished. “No offense, Coran.”

“None taken!”

Pidge grinned. “That would be a nice change. And I want to learn about all the different cultures we’re having touch with. It’ll be fun!” She coated.

“Actually, I think you could use some sleep, Pidge.” Shiro used his dad voice.

She adjusted her glasses. “My sleep cycle is fine.”

Shiro rolled his eyes. “Right. But you guys have a point.”

“That might actually be a good idea…” Allura mumbled. She then clasped her hands together and beamed. “Ok! No training for a whole week. Let’s take that time to rest and have some fun. The training deck is off limits until then. And I’m talking to you, Keith!” She adopted a warning tone.

Everyone looked pointedly at him. It was a given that when Keith wasn’t with the rest of the team or in his room, you could definitely find him beating some gladiator’s ass on the training deck. And that was literally his everyday.

He flinched a little at the sudden attention.

Allura went on. “Coran will lock it up if he musts. This is a time off. We’ll return to our activities after this short break.”

Everyone seemed ultimately excited with that.

Well, not everyone.

Allura eyed him expectantly.

Keith groaned. “Fine.”

 

-

 

“This is stupid.” Keith huffed.

He and Lance were the only ones laying around in the common area. Pidge was studying whatever material they had on the alien species they knew so far, accompanied by Shiro and Allura. Hunk was cooking and had deliberately made Coran his assistant.

Keith was trying to read a book as a distraction while Lance took a nap, sprawled on the couch.

Lance opened his eyes at the sound, apparently very much awake. “Dude, it’s a week off, why are you sulking? Just relax and enjoy!”

“I just don’t feel like I need this break.” Keith said stubbornly.

Lance sighed. “You are messed up in the head, man. Seriously Keith, you more than anyone needs this break. You’re stressed out most of the time.”

“I know! But training is what cools me down! What am I supposed to do now?” He asked, exasperated.

Lance seemed to consider it. “We’ll find something to distract you with.”

Keith glared at him. “Like what? Cause’ I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there's not much to do around here without our normal routine.”

“First of all, you need to learn how to chill properly. You will be taking a nap. Right now.” Lance stood up from the couch and offered a hand for Keith. “Come on.”

“Napping is supposed to distract me? Were you not listening?”

“Just shut up and do it, man!”

Keith groaned but stood up, making a point not to take Lance’s hand.

Once they reached Keith’s room, Lance waited by the doorframe as Keith took off his jacket and laid on his side on bed, facing the wall.

Keith heard the door sliding shut with relief.

Without Lance’s uncomfortable watch, he felt more at ease. But he knew his mind wouldn’t let him rest no matter how hard he tried.

It was their tough daily routine that got him to sleep at night. His body got so tired that there was no way his mind could keep him up. But during the day, without doing much of anything, that was highly unlikely to happen.

He sighed and rolled on his back, looking at the ceiling.

“You gotta close your eyes, dude!”

Keith jumped up at the sound of Lance’s voice. Inside his room. Leaning against the door. Watching him.

“Lance! What the hell?”

“What? If I don’t stand watch you’ll most likely do push-ups or read or just anything other than napping. Now close your damn eyes and just chill.”

“How am I supposed to chill with you staring at me like that?”

Lance shrugged. “Just forget I’m here. I’ll be quiet.”

Keith scoffed. “Yeah, sure. That’s easy to do.”

“Would you rather have me sing you a lullaby instead? Because I know quite a few if you’d like.”

Keith groaned for the umpteenth time. He flopped back onto his bed. “You’re insufferable.”

Lance just smirked.

Keith shut his eyes and took a deep breath, trying not to think about Lance’s stupid presence. It wasn’t working, but he seemed to be able to relax despite that.

He jolted as he felt someone move beside him.

Lance had walked up to him and plopped down on the floor, leaning against the bed with both hands tucked under his head.

“What are you doing?”

“Chilling. Now shut up.” Lance made himself comfortable and hummed in contentment.

Keith glared at him. He sighed before taking a pillow and hitting Lance in the face with it.

“HEY! What–”

“Take it.” Keith said quietly as he rolled over back to the wall.

Lance blinked. “Thanks.”

After a moment, Keith rolled back over to find Lance already unconscious.

He fell asleep to the soft scent of Lance’s shampoo.

 

-

 

Knock, knock.

There was no time to answer as the door slid open and someone came in.

“Hey Lance, I was just…” Keith trailed off as he took in Lance’s figure.

He was crawled upon himself in his bed, with his back against the wall and his face buried in his arms.

He quickly looked up, alarmed by the sudden intrusion.

Keith’s chest tightened. Lance had definitely been crying.

“Oh hey there, mullet.” He tried to smirk, but they both knew it wasn’t real.

“Are you ok?” Keith asked carefully.

“Sure! Why wouldn’t–”

“Lance…” Keith cut him off with a concerned and reprimanding voice.

Lance frowned and dropped his shoulders. He looked to the side. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing.” Keith approached his bed, sitting at the end. “You look like shit.” He said softly.

“Well, excuse me for not looking my best when I’m depressed. I’m not that pretty.” He rolled his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I feel a little down, no big deal.”

“You miss them.” Keith stated.

Lance looked up at him, a little surprised. Was he that easy to read?

“It’s ok to feel that way, you know. The others do too. But don’t worry. You’ll get back to them again.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because we’re a good team.” Keith smiled. “And we’ll win.”

Lance half smiled, then looked down again. “I just wish I could see them. Just a quick visit to see their faces before the big fight.”

“If you did that, would you be able to leave them behind again to go risk your life on dangerous missions and possibly the greatest battle of the universe, not knowing what might happen to you or to them?” Keith asked in a gentle tone.

Lance closed his eyes as he thought about it. “No.” He breathed, resting his chin on his propped knee.

Keith nodded. “Like I said, it’s ok to miss them. Just don’t jump down that well all by yourself. We’re in this together, all of us. I get why you all miss earth.”

Lance nodded quietly and looked up at him.

“Don’t you miss earth too?” He asked carefully.

Keith gave him a sad smile. “It’s not like I have a family there waiting for me. All I had was that old shack in the desert. Everything I need is right here on this ship.” He finished as his smile turned to a fond one.

It was true. That small group of weirdos had become something of a family by now, and Keith liked that idea. The only family he knew for a long time had summed up to Shiro. And even if the Shiro they got wasn't his brother, he would still have the others. And he knew they'd do anything to help finding him if it ever got to that. He grew to trust and really care for them.

Lance felt a strong wave of affection towards him. Without thinking, he lunged forward and pulled Keith into a tight hug.

Keith was dumbfounded. Thas was not how he expected things to go at all. 

He wasn’t a big hugger, much less a Lance hugger, but even that couldn’t stop his arms from wrapping around his back and holding him close after the shock.

Lance flushed as Keith’s hot breath blew softly on his neck.

Keith flushed as the nice smell of Lance’s shampoo hit his nostrils once again.

They stayed like that for a while, until both pulled back and smiled awkwardly at each other.

“Thank you, Keith.”

“You’re welcome, sharpshooter.”

They chuckled before Keith told him goodnight and moved to the door.

“Wait, Keith!” Lance called.

He turned.

“What were you gonna say when you first came in?”

Keith thought for a moment. “Oh yeah! Hunk has made a dish similar to garlic knots. At least, that’s what he said. I’ve never really tried those on earth, but these are really good. He kept some for you in the kitchen.”

"What?" Lance widened his eyes at both ‘Hunk made garlic knots’ and ‘I never tried it’. “Dude, I am so taking you to Veradero with me when we get back. Can’t have the head of Voltron go without my mom’s garlic knots. Oh no, I won't stand for that.”

Keith’s own eyes widened a little. He chuckled. “Ok. Cool.”

“Cool.” Lance grinned back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating tomorrow as well!
> 
> (Ps. I need to say something about the clone thing. It is not the main focus of this fic, so don't expect much on that. I don't know if I'll resolve it, but I don't plan to.)
> 
> Thanks for reading up to this point! :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, truth or dare. It's stupid but I love that concept so there ya go.

By the third day, they were all hopelessly bored.

“We need to find something to do or else you’re all gonna have to find a new green paladin because this boredom will kill me.” Pidge stated.

“That would give us something to do. There’s only so much you can do with the limited seasoning of space. My work in the kitchen is so done!” Hunk huffed. “At least for a while.”

“Can’t we just shorten up our break?” Keith suggested. “I think we’ve had enough.”

Allura frowned. “But it’s only been 3 quintants!” She pointed.

“Yeah, we agreed on a week. What we need is to have some fun. Any suggestions?” Shiro asked.

Lance whined. “If only we could play those cool games we bought at the space mall!”

“Ah!” Pidge perked up. “We can play some other games! Like tag or spin the bottle or something!” She exclaimed.

“What are those?” Coran asked.

“Those are some pretty old earth games which don’t require much equipment to play.” Shiro explained. “But I don’t think they’re very appropriate.”

“Yeah, those are children’s games!” Lance said. “Let’s play truth or dare!”

“Whoooa, nice!” Hunk beamed. “It’s been a while since I’ve done that.”

Keith snorted. He looked at the mature trio, confident they would flat out turn them down, only to see that Allura and Coran looked very curious about it, while Shiro seemed to be actually considering it.

“I guess that could be fun.” He commented.

“What?” Keith couldn’t believe his ears. “You’re not serious.”

Shiro shrugged. “Why? It’s actually a great way to get to know each other better.”

“Yeah Keith! What are you scared for?” Lance raised a teasing brow at him.

He just crossed his arms and groaned. “Fine. Let’s play this stupid game.”

 

-

 

After explaining all about it to the alteans, they all sat in circle on the floor, making do with the couch’s cushions.

For Keith’s surprise, it had been going pretty well so far. The truths were mainly about their favorite hobbies, what was their life on earth like or about their lions; nothing too picky. And to make things funnier, Allura had set up some sort of a lie detector. It was a small device that casted a bear hologram, similar to the one Pidge faced when she tried to learn altean. If they tried to lie, the bear would daunt them for the truth.

The only one affected so far had been Hunk when he lied about not missing the Garrison. After almost getting his hand bit off, he confessed he only missed it for the food. After that, no one tried to trick the holobear.

The dares were also pretty fun to watch.

Lance had to give Hunk a piggy back ride around the room, and ended up showing everyone just how strong he had become. Pidge blushed as she had to wear one of Allura’s tiaras, which they all agreed looked very good on her. Keith had to let the mice style his hair. They pulled it into a messy bun, and he looked so different he couldn’t help laughing with the others when he looked in the mirror.

Lance felt his heart do a flip at the sight of Keith’s hair styled like that with a laugh on his face.

He was still a little distracted by it as Pidge spoke up.

“Ok, my turn. Lance!” She picked. “Truth or dare?”

“Huh?” Lance turned quickly. “Oh, uhm… Truth!”

Pidge grinned wickedly. “How many girls have you kissed?”

“Seven.” He said without missing a beat.

The device beeped and the fluffy green holobear began turning red. The once fluffy bear was definitely displeased as he growled deeply.

Lance’s eyes widened. He thought he had this bear figured out. “Ok, then! 5!”

The bear beared his teeth and snarled, ready to attack. Lance flinched away.

He quickly recovered, taking a deep breath to quiet his heart’s racing. He had a serious face as he spoke. “Two!”

The bear violently raised a claw and then descended it upon his face. Lance squealed as he fell on his back.

“AAAAH! ONE! I’VE ONLY EVER KISSED ONE GIRL WHEN I WAS FIVE!” He braced himself for the hit, but nothing came.

The holobear became the fluffy teddy it was before as if nothing happened.

“Wow. That was embarrassing.” Pidge mocked.

Hunk plain white laughed. “Dude, how come you never told me that!”

Lance’s face burned, but he didn't falter. “Well, I have a reputation to uphold!”

Everybody laughed at his attempt to look dignified.

“Not anymore you don’t.” Keith smirked.

Lance glared at him. “Shut up, samurai Bun!”

Keith glared back. "It's not a samurai bun, idiot!"

“Guys! Back to the game!” Shiro called it off before it got worse.

Lance huffed. He recomposed himself into a cocky grin. “Allura! Truth or dare?”

“Truth!” She said excitedly.

“Ok, have you ever had any love interests?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

She blushed, stealing a quick glance at Shiro that only Keith seemed to notice. Allura then straightened her posture and looked at Lance.

“Yes.” She said with dignity.

Lance’s face lit up and he was about to say something unpleasant, so she stopped him.

“No, Lance. I’m sorry but that’s all you’re going to get.” She said firmly. “Ok, I choose… Shiro! Truth or dare?”

Keith had to bite back a grin.

“Truth, I guess.”

She smiled. “Can you dance?”

Everyone looked expectantly at him. That was an interesting question.

“Uhm…” He hesitated for a long moment. The bear started to change. “Yes!” He said finally.

That caught the whole team off guard. The idea of Shiro dancing was completely unexpected; they all saw him as the responsible space dad/big brother. Not that he wasn't a fun guy, but that was just too much, somehow. It felt way out of character.

Shiro felt uncomfortable under their stare. “I said I can dance, but if you’re expecting me to just get up and do it, I’m sorry to disappoint you. It's not happening. Can we move on?”

Allura cleared her throat, snapping everyone back. “Of course.”

“Good. Coran, truth or dare?”

“Dare!” He said enthusiastically. He seemed really fascinated with the game.

 

-

 

After Coran had to race Allura from one corner of the room to the other, and majestically lose even though she was wearing a dress, the game kept on for another varga before hitting a critic point.

“Lance!” Pidge had that same wicked face.

“Not again!” Lance whined.

“Truth or–”

“Dare.” He cut her off. He figured whatever she could have him do would be better than any more embarrassing questions she might’ve asked.

By her low chuckle, he assumed he was wrong.

“I dare you to kiss Keith.” Pidge said nonchalantly.

“What?” Lance gaped.

Keith froze.

“Pidge!” Shiro warned.

She was eyeing Lance in a weird way.

Hunk’s mouth seemed to be unable to close, as well as Coran’s. Allura had her mouth covered with both hands. Their eyebrows were raised in expectation.

“Hey, I thought we agreed you guys wouldn’t cross the line!” Lance said, annoyed.

Pidge shrugged. “It’s just a game, Lance.” She said as if it was no big deal.

“What the hell?” Keith finally snapped out of his disbelief.

“Language!” Shiro warned.

“This is ridiculous! You can’t do that, Pidge!” Keith said angrily.

“Jeez, you guys sure get worked up over the smallest things. I meant a kiss on the cheek!” She elaborated, trying to sound convincing.

“Oh…” Lance blinked.

“Unless you wanted to kiss him elsewhere.” She muttered.

Keith glared daggers at her.

“But that doesn’t make it any better!” Lance exclaimed.

“You gotta do it.” Pidge shrugged.

“But he’ll kill me!” Lance whined.

Keith grunted. “Just get it over with, Lance. I’m tired of this dumb game already.” He frowned, looking away.

Lance was taken aback. That was not what he was expecting from Keith’s end.

“Ok…” He mumbled.

Hesitantly, he moved to where Keith was sitting with his legs and arms crossed. He leaned in until his face was just a few inches from Keith’s and took a deep breath.

The kiss was very soft, like a feather gently touching Keith’s face.

When he pulled back, they were both blushing all the way to their necks.

“Ok, there’s your kiss, little gremlin!” Lance glared at her.

She seemed more than satisfied. “That was pretty cute.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. Awkward.
> 
> There's only one or two chapters left.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took forever and I'm sorry. I got no excuse other than I was lazy.  
> Anyways, feelings!

As expected, things became really awkward between the two after the kiss episode.

Neither was able to look the other in the face without helplessly blushing at the memory of the kiss, so they ended up not looking at each other at all.

It was a relief that their secret mission was on hold. They had agreed to let Shiro be for now, since none of the others said anything about him being different.

With Earth games deliberately out of the picture, they went back to the sulking that came with boredom. Finally having enough, Allura had suggested that the earthlings would explore the castle as a pastime activity. The huge castleship was full of hallways and rooms and wonders they were yet to discover.

Four out of five earthlings took her suggestion. They spent a whole quintant wandering about the castle and coming across many different and interesting things.

They found a room that was some sort of a greenhouse, filled with all kinds of alien plants. They weren’t all necessarily green, but still gave off that wild nature vibe. The occasional flowers exhaled distinct scents and grew out in exuberant forms and colors.

It was a beautiful place that brought a feeling of purity to the four of them.

Another room had a great deal of antiques, mostly altean but also from other places. Sculptures, paintings, books, tapestry and other stuff. The technology of it made it all seem futuristic for earth’s standards, but for aliens’ they seemed definitely thousands of years old.

Pidge, Hunk and Lance lingered in that room, laughing about the weird pieces of alien art scattered around, as Keith wandered off by himself. He found some malfunctioning doors that refused to open until one finally did.

That was definitely Keith’s favorite room. It had nothing special to it except that instead of walls it had windows; the biggest windows in the whole castle. You could see the infinite space in almost every direction. He was completely overwhelmed as he walked in the dark room and towards the window-wall.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, admiring the view, but it could have been vargas.

“Whoa…” Lance said, quietly appearing beside him.

That was the closest they had been since the kiss.

Keith turned at the sound, startled, and was gifted with the most amazing sight; Lance’s silhouette lit only by the stars, his glimmering eyes framed by a childish face utterly amazed by the beautiful vastness of space.

It made Keith unable to look away.

“This is beautiful…” Lance grinned.

“Yeah…” Keith agreed absentmindedly.

Lance turned to him and blushed at both the way Keith was looking at him and the way Keith looked at all. He had been tying his hair in a bun lately, and Lance thought it really suited him. He kinda liked it.

Keith seemed to notice he had been staring, so he stammered. “Uhm, I-I gotta… I’ll go call the others.” He practically ran out of the room, but not before Lance could see the tainted red on his cheeks.

And just like that Lance was left there wondering what was happening between them and why did his heart feel like it would jump out of his chest.

 

-

 

During the rest of their break they decided it was ok to do a little maintenance in both the castle and the lions, which kept them pretty busy for one or two quintants.

Finally, on the last quintant of their vacation, the whole team took the time to just hang out in the common area doing nothing in particular the whole day.

The red and black paladins were seated the furthest away from each other and didn’t do as much as glance in the other’s direction the whole time, even though the team was engrossed in a happy conversation.

Keith had been avoiding Lance since that day in the star-gaze room, and Lance didn’t have the guts to go talk to him. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say and, honestly, he was scared of the outcome of that conversation. It was easier to keep things the way they were, even if it felt stupid.

“Are you guys fighting?” Hunk asked Lance when they had quieted down.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, I haven’t seen you guys talk in a while. What happened to that growing friendship?” Pidge asked.

Lance’s gaze met Keith’s for a split second.

“Nothing. We’re good.” Lance said.

“That’s not what it looks like.” Pidge muttered.

After a moment of awkward silence, Keith stood up.

“I’m going to take a nap.” He announced before leaving.

 

-

 

Keith found himself in the greenhouse. He meant to go to the window room, but it would be easier to find him there, since it was his favorite place in the whole castle, so he settled for the next best thing.

He had avoided thinking about his deal with Lance for the past few quintants out of fear of discovering troubling and unwanted feelings he might’ve developed for him.

But then he realized there was no point in running away from that. It would only end up dragging them apart again and it could be bad for the team at that point.

Bearing that in mind, in that moment, alone except for the pleasing quiet of the plants, he came to terms with the fact that he might have feelings for Lance.

“Damn it.” He muttered, crossing his arms.

“Keith?”

Keith froze as he recognized Lance’s voice.

“It’s dark in here.” Lance said as he approached.

Keith frowned at him with frustration. “Why are you here? I said I’d take a nap!”

Lance eyed him. “You don’t take naps.”

Keith turned away from him. “What do you want?”

“You know what. We need to talk.” Lance stood beside him.

“Do we?” He leaned against a counter topped by a variety of bioluminescent flowers.

“Keith!” Lance groaned.

The other took a deep breath. "Fine. Talk, if you want to talk.”

Lance leaned back beside him. “Things have been weird between us and uh, I’m having trouble understanding what’s going on. Can you help me?”

Keith didn’t look up as he spoke. “I don’t know. What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to say something! I got no idea what’s on your mind! I thought we were doing good and getting along but now it feels like you don’t want me around anymore…” He quieted down. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No.”

“Is it… About that kiss?”

Keith hesitated. “Not really…”

“Listen, I know that was weird but it wasn’t really my fault.”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what? Tell me what it is so I can fix it!”

Keith sighed. “You can’t… I’ll deal with it, don’t worry. I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you, I won’t do it anymore.” He looked up at Lance. “Can we just go back to being friends who fight on occasion?”

“So you’re just gonna sweep it under the mat and pretend it’s not there?” Lance furrowed his brows. “Keith, we both know there’s something unspoken going on here, and not just since that stupid game. I’m a part of it, how can I let you do that?”

“I don’t know what else to do!” Keith huffed.

Lance took a deep breath. “Tell me what you’re thinking. I want to know.”

“You really don’t.”

“I really do. Just tell me like it is and we’ll deal with it. I can take it.”

Keith looked him in the eyes, searching for any sign of uncertainty. He found none. Lance was determined to settle things right there and then, no matter what.

He took a shaky breath and turned away. There was no way he could say what he was about to say while seeing that face.

But before he could say anything, Lance yelped and yanked his hand from the counter.

“Whoa what the quiznak?” He frowned at the plants behind them.

“Lance! Your hand!” Keith’s eyes widened.

Lance looked down to see his veins swelling and a purple color running up his hand.

“Keith! What the hell’s that?” He cried out, turning to him with panic in his eyes.

“We need to get Allura and Coran! Come on!” He caught Lance by his arm and dragged him out the door.

“Keith I don’t… I don’t feel so good…” Lance mumbled before passing out on the floor.

“Lance! Lance, come on! Wake up!” Keith hit him in the face a couple of times, but got no reaction. “No, no, no, Lance! Shit!”

He carefully put Lance’s arms over his shoulders and hoisted him up, supporting his weight on his back and holding him up by his thighs. He ran out as fast as he could.

 

-

 

“ALLURA!” Keith yelled as soon as he found her walking towards her room.

She met him with worry in her features and her voice. “What’s wrong? Is Lance asleep?”

Keith put him down on the hallway floor. “Something happened! I think he scratched his hand on a plant and then it did something to him, and now he’s passed out and he’s getting cold!”

Allura examined Lance’s hand. “Oh no! Were you near the bioluminescent plants in the greenhouse?” She frowned.

“Yeah…” Keith said. “Why? Is that bad? Is he going to be ok?”

Her frown deepened. “Those plants are incredibly poisonous. Their toxins are powerful sedatives and they affect the heart rate, decreasing it until is stops completely.”

“WHAT?”

“But!” Allura exclaimed before Keith could have a panic attack. “There are antidotes at the infirmary. We need to move him now.” She said, moving to help him carry Lance.

“No, it’s ok. You go on ahead and prepare everything while I carry him there.” Keith said, carefully picking Lance back up. He looked paler than before.

Allura nodded before rushing out to the infirmary.

 

-

 

Keith got there a few minutes after Allura, but she had already prepared everything. Coran was there too.

He assisted Keith in laying Lance on a bed. Allura then cleaned the inside of his elbow and injected the antidote on his veins.

They waited a few minutes for the color to start coming back to Lance’s face.

Keith sighed in relief.

“He’ll need to rest for a while until the venom gets completely neutralized and pushed out of his system.” Allura told him.

“Won’t he need to get in a healing pod?”

Coran shook his head. “No. His body is already doing what needs to be done in order for him to fully heal. Sleep is the best option for him now. We could, however, move him to his own bedroom. He’ll get more comfortable there.”

Keith nodded. “Got it.”

He lifted him up bridal style, making sure Lance’s head was safely placed on his shoulder.

“We can help you–” Allura started.

“No, I got this. Thank you. For everything.” He smiled weakly.

Coran and Allura shared a look as they watched him stroll out the door with Lance craddled in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll get the next one done in the next few days I promise.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. Last chapter for this work.  
> Babies kiss!  
> (IDK why I give you spoilers but that's just the kind of idiot I am)

Keith was jerked awake by a soft whine.

“Keith?” Lance asked as he slowly sat up in his bed. “Why are you here? Were you watching me sleep?” He narrowed his eyes.

Keith had been sitting on the opposite end of the bed, dozing on and off for the past couple of vargas.

“You don’t remember?” Keith asked. Lance shook his head, so he went on. “In the greenhouse, you scratched your hand on a poisonous plant and passed out from the venom.”

“WHAT? AM I GONNA DIE?” Lance freaked out.

“No, no! You’ll be fine, calm down! We already gave you the antidote. You just need to rest it out.”

“Are you sure?” He pleaded.

“Yes! How are you feeling?”

Lance finally relaxed. “I’m… I don’t know. Tired? Yeah, I think I’m a little tired.”

“Then go back to sleep. I’ll get you some water and food for when you wake up.” Keith told him, standing up.

“Thanks, Keith.” He grinned.

“Yeah.” Keith’s face mirrored his.

Lance was then struck with a thought. “Oh, hey! I just remembered you were about to say something important back at the greenhouse!"

Keith’s blood ran cold.

“Uhm, it wasn’t anything important. You need to recover now. I’ll be back la–”

“Keith. We were alone in a dark room full of plants and you were reluctant to tell me something. It was definitely important and I want to hear it.”

“Lance, we can continue that conversation after you’ve fully healed.”

“But I don’t want to. I want to do it now! You were ready to tell me before that stupid plant tried to kill me, so why can’t you say it now?”

Keith grunted. “Ugh, fine!”

“Great!” Lance nodded. “Come on.” He patted the spot beside him on the bed.

As he sat down beside him, Keith was certain he was the one nearing death. He took a few moments to collect himself before speaking again.

Lance watched him expectantly.

“I think I… I might have feelings for you.” Keith said, looking down at his hands.

And there it was. The heavy silence that suffocated Keith and made him immediately regret ever saying anything.  
It went on for what felt like forever. He didn’t have the guts to look up, so he waited.

“What sort of feelings?”

Keith breathed again, but that did little to ease his nerves.

“I’m not sure. I don’t want to name them yet. But you don’t have to do anything, I’ll deal with them and I won’t let it get in the way of our friendship again. I promise.”

“Keith.”

“What?”

“Look at me.” Lance said softly.

Keith reluctantly did.

Lance had this soft, almost caring look on his face. “It’s ok. I’ll help you with that.”

Keith frowned. “You don’t–” He started, but stopped immediately when he felt something touch his hand.

Lance’s fingers gently wrapped around his.

“Don’t try to push me out. I’ll help you deal with it because... Whatever it is, it’s mutual.”

Another silence.

“Are you sure?”

Lance shrugged. “You tell me. I have been thinking about you a lot more than I should. It freaked me out at first, but now I see why. I really like being with you. I like the way you look with that stupid bun. I like the way you smile, especially if I’m the one who caused it. I like that weird color of your eyes. I like the sound of your voice, and even more the sound of your laugh. I like the way you fight with your sword. I like that we can be vulnerable around each other now. I like how great it felt to finally beat you hand-to-hand.” He grinned.

Keith’s face felt like it was about to combust. So did his chest.

After a few moments, he finally spoke.

“You didn’t beat me, you cheated. And then I beat you.”

Lance started at him for a few ticks. “Oh my god. I spilled my heart out for you and all you care about is how my glorious victory was dubious due to a few acidental drops of water on the floor?”

Keith stammered. “I-I didn’t–, that wasn’t–, I’m–” He stopped, sighed and then tried again. “I’m sorry. This whole thing is just too embarrassing. How can you say all that with that stupid smiley face?”

He shrugged. “I’m relieved to get it out. And happy. But I’m also curious about what you have to say to me in return.”

“What do I–” Keith huffed. “Honestly?”

“Oh yes. You owe me a few words.”

Keith pouted a little before looking away. “I like being with you too. I like sparring with you. I like talking to you. I even like arguing with you; sometimes. I like how we stand by each other. I like how you concentrate when you’re in battle. I like the smell of your shampoo. I like your stupid face. I like the color of your skin and the deep blue of your eyes. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I kind of like your lame pick-up lines. So I guess that must mean that I… Like you. Maybe.” He finished quietly.

Lance’s grin never left his face. “Wow, Keith. You are smitten.”

“Shut up! You’ve got it worse than I do!” Keith groaned.

Lance laughed. “Yeah, maybe.” His laugh faded into a small smile. “Hey.”

“Hm?”

“Can I kiss you?” Lance asked quietly.

Keith felt his face burning up again. “Wh-what? Wh–” He stopped at Lance’s soft look staring at him.

Lance lurched forward and would’ve successfully kissed him if Keith’s reflexes didn’t turn his head at the precise moment.

“M-maybe we shouldn’t–” Keith started.

“C’mon, just a little.” Lance whispered against his jaw.

If his soft breath and the feather touch of his lips against his skin were not enough to get Keith to give in, his gentle tone sure was.

Hesitantly, Keith turned back to him.

Lance smiled widely as he did.

The head of Voltron felt his heart jump as his nerves bubbled up.

Lance’s parted lips grew closer and stopped just a few inches from Keith’s. He then raised a hand and firmly held the side of Keith’s face, giving his eyes a quick glance before finally kissing him.

It wasn’t a passionate or lustful kiss. It was slow and sweet.

Keith let both of his hands come up to touch Lance’s nape and soft hair.

They pulled back after a long moment.

Lance pulled their foreheads together and smiled at him.

“Who would’ve thought, huh?”

Keith chuckled breathily. “I sure as hell wouldn’t.”

They stared fondly at each other for a moment. All the embarrassment long gone; in its place were relief and contentment.

“I like your lips.” Lance whispered softly.

“They seem to like you too.” Keith said in the same tone as he pecked Lance’s mouth. “But you need to sleep. I’ll be back later with food and water.” He let go of Lance and stood up.

“Ok. Hey!”

Keith was midway out the door when he turned. “What now?”

“I like you too. Maybe.” He said with the most beautiful smile Keith had ever seen.

Keith blushed before he realized something and groaned, frowning.

“What?” Lance raised his brows.

“Pidge. We’ll never have peace again.” Keith had a pained look.

Lance whined and looked up at the ceiling. “Damn gremlin. Maybe we shouldn’t tell them yet?”

Keith shrugged tiredly. “We won’t need to anyway. I’m pretty sure they’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Yeah. But as bad as it may be, it’s totally worth it.” Lance smiled widely.

“I hope so." Keith sighed, but couldn't hide the tug on his lips that formed a small smile.

 

-

 

That night, they both fell asleep on their beds with warm chests and smiley faces.

Come next day things were definitely ought to change, maybe a lot, maybe permanently, they couldn't even know to what extent. But it would be ok. They had each other and that was enough to get through any shift, good or bad, that could come their way. They had done it before, even when they were not yet aware of their feelings.

Feelings were tough, sure, but they were also beautiful things that made it possible for those two boys to find happiness, strength, and home in each other. It was what made them grow out of a loose, rather childish relationship and into a closer, stronger one with a more profound bond. 

Whatever came along with that, they'd take it.

The soft kisses and warm, gentle touches exchanged between them that afternoon were their last thought as they drifted into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said this is the end of this work, not of the series. I'm definitely writing more bc I can't fucking stop and I love this ship so god damn much.  
> So stay tuned for the epilogue! Or something like that.  
> Thank you guys for your support and lovely comments! They've made me the happiest!
> 
> See you next time!


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